BOYS BASKETBALL: Greencastle-Antrim comes up short against Chambersburg

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By Ben Destefan

Waynesboro Record Herald - Waynesboro, PA

By Ben Destefan

Posted Dec. 10, 2012 at 12:00 PM

By Ben Destefan

Posted Dec. 10, 2012 at 12:00 PM

WAYNESBORO — Considering they were held scoreless until the 6:30 mark of the second quarter, losing by only four points to Chambersburg in Saturday night's championship game of the Franklin County Tip-Off Tournament was a feat in itself for the Greencastle-Antrim boys basketball team.

After trailing by as many as 15, a furious fourth-quarter charge had the Blue Devils within one possession of the lead three times in the final four minutes before the Trojans were ultimately able to hang on for the 44-40 victory.

As evident by the score, neither side had much success offensively, with the collective shooting struggles acting as an overriding theme throughout.

Despite G-A's early woes, Chambersburg was unable to fully capitalize, netting just nine points in each of the first two quarters, resulting in an 18-11 lead at the half.

The same was true in the closing 16 minutes, as a 15-2 run by the Blue Devils transformed a 31-16 Trojans' advantage into a two-point ballgame with four minutes remaining, setting up the improbable sprint to the finish.

"We couldn't score to start, but we felt like we were still right there," G-A head coach Gary Martin said. "We weathered it and defensively we kept ourselves within reach. Our kids got after it and we gave ourselves a shot coming down the stretch. Unfortunately, we just came up a little short."

Following five minutes without a field goal for either team, Kyle Myers' jumper kick-started a 14-0 Chambersburg run to open the game, with a lay-in by Austin Scott accounting for the Blue Devils' first points more than nine minutes into regulation.

After finally getting on the scoreboard, G-A managed to draw within nine entering the half, as an aggressive move underneath by Zach Faulkner capped an 11-4 Blue Devil stint to close the second quarter.

The Trojans again established a healthy margin early in the third, with tournament MVP Evason Obgonna throwing down an authoritative dunk to give Chambersburg its largest lead at 15.

With the game seemingly slipping away, five consecutive points from Faulkner sparked G-A's resurgent comeback, sending the Blue Devils into the fourth down 10 at 31-21.

From here, G-A cashed in from the free throw line, netting eight of 10 attempts in the first four minutes of the quarter to quickly cut the deficit to two. Chambersburg answered with a 9-2 run for a 41-33 lead, including Kellen Williams knocking down a pair of free throws as a result of a technical foul called against G-A's Joel Zola with 2:19 left to play.

Unfazed, a bucket from Scott was followed by a Faulkner free throw and a pair of Zola makes from the charity stripe, again drawing the Blue Devils within one possession at 41-38.

Back-to-back turnovers ensued, granting G-A a chance to tie with less than 20 seconds remaining. Looking to drive the lane, Zola lost his footing on his way to the basket, allowing the Trojans to come up with the loose ball forcing the Blue Devils to foul, sending Williams to the line with 12 ticks left on the clock.

Page 2 of 2 - The senior casually sunk both attempts, putting the Trojans up by five to essentially seal the win.

Williams finished with a team-high 12 points for Chambersburg followed by 11 points and eight blocks by Obgonna.

Zola's 12 points paced the Blue Devils for the second night in a row, earning him All-Tournament Team honors after his 17-point performance in Friday's opening-round victory over Waynesboro.

Faulkner added 10 points, including eight in the second half, while Brandon Puffenbarger contributed seven points in the loss, finishing 5-for-6 from the free throw line.

"We came here to win this thing and defend our title," Martin said. "We were in it to win it, but playing teams like Chambersburg is only going to help us down the road."

The Blue Devils (1-1) host Waynesboro Tuesday night for their home opener and a rematch of Friday's contest, which G-A won 55-49. The Mid-Penn Colonial Division game is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m.